In San Francisco, roughly 5,000 Venezuelans who were granted temporary protected status (TPS) will continue to have the right to work and reside in the United States. This decision comes despite a Supreme Court ruling that rescinded these protections while the Venezuelans’ lawsuit against the administration is still unresolved.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen determined that Venezuelans whose TPS was extended until October 2026 are unaffected by the recent Supreme Court ruling and are not subject to deportation. The Supreme Court previously allowed the administration to withdraw TPS for approximately 350,000 Venezuelans, whose status would have expired in April. This Supreme Court action effectively suspended Judge Chen’s previous order, which prevented the administration from ending the protections originally granted under President Joe Biden.
Interestingly, the Supreme Court did not provide an explanation for its decision, which is customary in such emergency cases. However, they specifically mentioned individuals who had received new work authorizations and paperwork with expiration set for October 2, 2026. During Friday’s hearing, Judge Chen noted that while the justices could have decided to remain silent regarding this particular group, they chose not to. His court is still evaluating claims that the revocation of TPS by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was unlawful.
The TPS program permits individuals already in the U.S. to work and live legally when their home countries are considered unsafe for their return due to issues such as natural disasters or civil unrest. During his presidency, Donald Trump vowed to deport millions and sought to undo policies from the Biden administration that expanded legal residency paths for migrants.